Germany – ONE-Dyas’ gas drilling above Schiermonnikoog is once again delayed. The court in Oldenburg, Germany, is provisionally prohibiting the construction of a power cable to a nearby wind farm to supply power to the platform. According to the environmental organization Deutsche Umtwelthilfe (DUH), pulling the cable is harmful to the reefs in the area, and the court agrees.
According to the plans, the platform above Schiermonnikoog is to be connected to wind farm Riffgat. That lies in the German part of the North Sea, about ten kilometers away. Connecting to wind farm will prevent a lot of CO2 and nitrogen emissions, according to ONE-Dyas.
The German judge’s ruling is yet another setback for the project in which some half a billion euros have now been invested. In recent years there have been several lawsuits, mostly brought by environmental organizations, to stop the construction of the platform. Recently, the Council of State decided that ONE-Dyas was allowed to drill.
On BNR Nieuwsradio, CEO Chris de Ruyter van Steveninck reacted with disappointment. ‘I find it incomprehensible that DUH thinks this helps the climate. As long as we need natural gas, natural gas from the North Sea is the best choice. By importing natural gas we emit more emissions and increase our dependence on countries outside the European Union. There, natural gas is usually extracted in a much more polluting way and the environmental requirements are less strict.’
